Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Inugenesis
*episode 1*

There is a great castle by a lake. It is one of the mighty structures built as fortress by the great noble families among men. Demons laugh at such pathetic attempts at grandeur, but for all its decorativeness, the castle walls have held back demons of above average strength. The castle bares the vestments of mourning; clearly a member of the ruling house has become an honorable ancestor. As the sun sets over the lake, two figures travel alone away from the gates. One of them, an old man, gives a final backward glance knowing that he shall never again see his home of many decades. The other, a child, wrapped in a hood of dull cloth looks back again and again, not understanding forever, but already felling the loss of all that he has known. As the two prepare to enter a thick forest, the child turns once more and draws back his hood. His long white hair billows out of its confinement and his eyes and ears strain to take in all that is familiar to them. It is the ears and eyes that the hood is meant to hide, protecting him from the despising glances sent by all who see him. His small pointed ears sit on top of his head and his deep golden eyes drip with tears as they gleam in the orange sunlight. The man turns and sees him like this and is most displeased. With hurried motions he pulls the hood back into place and pushes the youngster into the forest, clearly wishing to minimize his physical contact with the boy. The two walk on in silence. The man sets the pace, however the boy, unused to travel, is not restrained by the old man’s limited speed. When the sun sets, the man stops and begins to gather wood for a fire. The boy, clearly unsure of what to do, stands and watches. When the fire has started, the old man sits and says to the boy, “Lord Inuyasha, be seated.” Inuyasha obeys the politely phrased order and his companion pulls food from his single pack. The two eat in silence. Finally, Inuyasha says, “Mister…mister Chuugimaru, when can I see my mother again? I miss her.” The old man, looking every second of his 56 years, replies, “Her ladyship is dead. Your lordship will never see her again, at least not in this life.” The half-demon obviously wants to talk, but his guardian does not. “Go to sleep, young lord.” he says. “We rise at dawn tomorrow. If your grandfather’s men find us on his land after the next sunset, we too shall die.”(He does not use the formal address when referring to the old lord) Closing any further debate, Chuugimaru reclines against a tree and closes his eyes. He is not yet ready for sleep, but he needs time to himself, and his charge’s need for companionship takes second place in his priorities. After all, his orders are to keep the young lord safe, not happy. Had he been given those orders, he would have known that her ladyship had lost all of her senses. This boy could never know happiness, but he might live in relative safety.
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